Augmented reality is a term for a live, direct or an indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated information such as text, sound, video, graphics or GPS data. Artificial information about the environment and its objects is thus overlaid on a real world view or image. Augmentation is typically in real-time and in semantic context with environmental elements so that information about the surrounding world of the user becomes active and digitally manipulatable.
The main hardware components for augmented reality a processor, display, sensors and input devices. These elements, specifically a CPU, display, camera and MEMS sensors such as accelerometer, GPS, or solid state compass are present in portable device such as smartphones, which allow them to function as augmented reality platforms.
Augmented reality systems have found applications in entrainment, navigation, assembly processes, maintenance, medical procedures. Portable augmented reality systems have also found applications in tourism and sightseeing where augmented reality is used to present information of real world objects and places objects being viewed.
An immersive augmented experience reality experience is provided using a head-mounted display, typically in the form of goggles or a helmet. With a head-mounted display, virtual visual objects are superimposed on the user's view of a real world scene. The head mounted display is tracked with sensors that allow the system to align virtual information with the physical world. The tracking may be performed, for example, using any one of such technologies as digital cameras or other optical sensors, accelerometers, GPS, gyroscopes, solid state compasses, RFID and wireless sensors. Head-mounted displays are either optical see-through or video see-through. Optical see-through employs solutions such as half-silver mirrors to pass images through the lens and overlay information to be reflected into the user's eyes, and transparent LCD projectors that display the digital information and images directly or indirectly to the user retina.